The Sun’s poles have long been a cosmic mystery buried from Earth’s perspective by the simple fact that our planet, along with every other spacecraft, orbits within the equatorial plane. Thanks to the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar Orbiter spacecraft, however, mankind has now seen the solar south pole in history. Captured in March 2025, the ground-breaking images expose a turbulent magnetic scene and provide hitherto unheard-of understanding of the Sun’s enigmatic 11-year cycle.
These revelations could not have come at a more pivotal moment. Right now, the Sun is in its most volatile phase solar maximum when geomagnetic storms, flares, and coronal mass ejections assault the solar system. Furthermore, scientists are finding that the Sun’s poles are far more unusual than expected as Solar Orbiter probes hitherto unexplored ground.
A View Never Seen Before: Breaking Free From the Ecliptic Plane
Up until now, every picture of the Sun has come from close proximity to its equator. That’s so because Earth and all other spacecraft orbit in the ecliptic plane, a flat disc matched with the Sun’s middle. Even the fabled Ulysses probe, which passed over the poles in the 1990s, lacked cameras, so leaving the polar areas dark.
But Solar Orbiter changed the rules. A gravity assist from Venus tilted its orbit by 17 degrees in February 2025, enabling it to first directly view the south pole of the Sun. Released in June, the resultant pictures depict a whirlpool of turbulent atmosphere where temperatures soar to a million degrees Celsius far hotter than the surface of the Sun.
Magnetic Chaos: The Sun’s Poles Are a Mess
The condition of the Sun’s magnetic field is one of the most surprising discoveries. Typically, magnets have a north and south pole. However, the south pole of the Sun’s magnetic field shown by PHI resembles a broken compass that is spinning confusedly with both north and south polarities mixed together.
It is marked by a magnetic frenzy during solar maximum, the southern peak of the Sun’s 11-year cycle which includes the flipping of its magnetic field. PHI expects that over the next five years, the field will stabilize at one dominant polarity at each pole. For now, however, the south pole of the Sun is a storm of conflicting forces, which was predicted but had never been directly observed.
Tracking the Solar Wind’s Birthplace
Beyond magnetism, the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument of Solar Orbiter made another first: tracking solar material’s speed as it surged outward. Doppler shifts the same effect causing a change in pitch of an ambulance siren. Tracking carbon ions racing across the Sun’s transition zone, a superheated layer with temperatures ranging from 10,000°C to hundreds of thousands of degrees, SPICE recorded.
This information is vital since it shows how the solar wind the stream of charged particles that buffet Earth accelerates into space. Knowing this process would enable one to forecast destructive space weather, which can destroy satellites, cause havoc with electrical systems, and even endanger astronauts.
Why the Sun’s Poles Matter More Than We Thought
The Sun’s control center for its magnetic activity is located at its poles. During solar minimum, the dipole-like, clean field of the magnetic lines shows. But as activity increases, magnetic anarchy rules, producing sunspots, flares, and eventually the polar flip.
Solar Orbiter’s observations check the poles are much more active than believed. Lead physicist for the PHI instrument Sami Solanki says, “We didn’t know what to expect since the Sun’s poles are literally terra incognita.”
The Best Is Yet to Come
This is just the beginning. As the Solar Orbiter continues to spiral outward, it will be at 24 degrees by 2026 and 33 degrees by 2029. Subsequent flybys will monitor the north pole and the evolution of its magnetic field post-flip.
“These views will transform solar physics,” said Daniel Müller of ESA. I guess the Solar Orbiter has its stairway to heaven.
A New Era of Solar Science
The Sun is firstly being seen in three dimensions not only as a flat disc but also as a dynamic, multi-layered star with secret polar hiddenness. Solar Orbiter might at last solve the riddles of space weather prediction, so enabling mankind to get ready for the Sun’s next explosive outbursts.
One thing is definite: the poles of the Sun are no more a mystery. And every fresh picture is rewriting the textbooks on our closest star.
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Suhail Ahmed is a passionate digital professional and nature enthusiast with over 8 years of experience in content strategy, SEO, web development, and digital operations. Alongside his freelance journey, Suhail actively contributes to nature and wildlife platforms like Discover Wildlife, where he channels his curiosity for the planet into engaging, educational storytelling.
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